Ministry of Health and Welfare: "We Will Be Inclusive While Upholding Principles... Complete Medical Reform Without Wavering"

Confirmed Quotas for Residents by Region and Hospital for 2025 by November

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 5th that it will complete medical reform with a flexible and inclusive yet principled approach.

Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters briefing on doctors' collective action held at the Government Seoul Office, "The government will do its utmost to engage in dialogue and concentrate all capabilities on operating the emergency medical system to protect the lives and health of the people," adding, "We will promptly resolve the current situation and complete medical reform."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Health and Welfare decided to review measures to increase the allocation ratio of residency quotas outside the metropolitan area when assigning residency quotas for 2025. Additionally, the final allocation of residency quotas by region and hospital will be confirmed by November this year.

Vice Minister Park said, "Yesterday, the government discussed the direction of residency quota allocation by region at the Medical Education Support Task Force," adding, "Currently, the proportion of medical school quotas outside the metropolitan area is 66% of the total medical school quotas." He pointed out, "After the 2025 academic year quota allocation, it rose to 72.4%, but the residency quotas outside the metropolitan area account for only 45% of the total, showing an imbalance between medical school quotas and residency quotas."

He continued, "When medical graduates receive training in their region, the rate of settling and working in the region is high. However, currently, even if they graduate from medical schools in the region, many move to the metropolitan area for training, resulting in a low settlement rate in the region," adding, "The Task Force agreed that residency quotas at regional training hospitals should be further expanded to secure regional medical personnel."

Vice Minister Park explained, "Accordingly, when assigning residency quotas for 2025, the allocation ratio for non-metropolitan areas will be increased, and in the mid to long term, a direction linked to the quotas of medical schools by region will be reviewed," adding, "Along with expanding residency allocations at regional training hospitals, support to strengthen training capacity within the region, such as increasing professors at national university hospitals and expanding clinical education training centers, will also be promoted."

The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to finalize the residency quotas by region and hospital for 2025 by November this year after gathering opinions from residents, professional societies, training hospitals, and discussions by the Training Environment Evaluation Committee.

Regarding a question about the meeting between President Yoon Seok-yeol and representatives of residents, Vice Minister Park said, "Yesterday was the first meeting, and you cannot expect everything to be resolved at once," adding, "The government will continue its sincere efforts for dialogue." Although President Yoon and Park Dan, the acting chairman of the Korean Intern Resident Association, had a meeting at the presidential office for over two hours the previous day, it was evaluated that they only confirmed their differences in opinion. When asked if there would be additional dialogue opportunities with medical organizations, Vice Minister Park replied, "It has been agreed not to disclose details mutually, so it is difficult to say specifically, but (dialogue) is underway," adding, "Various contact efforts and meetings are continuing."

He reiterated that the plan to increase the number of residents by 2,000 remains unchanged. Vice Minister Park said, "Currently, no alternatives have been proposed, and since the government has made a policy decision on the 2,000 increase, the existing policy remains valid unless there is a special reason for change."

Vice Minister Park expressed, "As a government official responsible for healthcare, I feel very sorry for the prolonged medical service gap," adding, "The government is making every effort to resolve the issue promptly. I once again urge everyone to join forces so that smooth dialogue between the government and the medical community can take place."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.